


Special Dresses

by LouieRambles



Category: Noblesse (Manhwa)
Genre: Genderbending, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-09
Updated: 2018-12-09
Packaged: 2019-09-14 13:23:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,265
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16913649
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LouieRambles/pseuds/LouieRambles
Summary: Females were evil, M-21 ascertained.Females were evil, and Frankenstein was the devil. Or, at least, the Antichrist. Or both.





	Special Dresses

**Author's Note:**

> This work adapted from an original piece of mine, for a Noblesse event on tumblr. Thank Madame aZure over on tumblr for giving me the courage to write and post it! ^_^

Females were evil, M-21 ascertained. 

Females were evil, and Frankenstein was the devil. Or, at least, the Antichrist. Or both. 

That had to be it. If that wasn’t how it was, then why else was she standing in a dressing room, staring at her reflection in the large mirror? 

The strapless purple gown hung low on her chest, showcasing the scar from when that bastard had replaced her heart. It was tight, clinging to her curves. It actually hugged her body until about her knees, where it flared and pooled softly around her feet, just like a sleeping cat. It was lovely, and obviously not for someone like her. What had she been thinking when she’d allowed Yuna to convince her to try it on? 

No, not Yuna. 

It had been Suyi’s idea for her to try on the gown. In fact, this whole trip had been Suyi’s idea. Much like with the gown, Seira seconded the trip. Then she’d somehow gotten Frankenstein involved, and the mad scientist had actually gone for it, citing her need for female interaction. 

“Female interaction” her ass. Frankenstein was just pissed that Raizel had opted to walk to school with her that morning. This was just his way of getting revenge without having to lift a single finger. 

And punishment it was, M-21 thought as her ears picked up on the squeals coming from the stall next door. Suyi wasn’t very quiet as she gushed over Seira’s dress. Neither were the store attendants. Every other word that tumbled from their lips seemed to be a compliment, all aimed at the young noble. 

M-21 could imagine it: Seira, standing tall and proud as Suyi flitted around her. The store attendants would stare in awe as she tucked an errant lock of hair behind her ear, her eyes downcast in an attractive display of humility. A blush would fan her cheeks, and even more onlookers would fawn… 

Sighing, M-21 turned back to the mirror. 

Her shoulders curved inwards as she took in the trainwreck that was her reflection, diverting her eyes quickly. 

Sure, the others would find something nice to say about her but their words would be empty. 

And why wouldn’t they be? Her breasts weren’t particularly large, and her thighs were too large. Right now, as it stood, she couldn’t see her thighs, but she could feel them rubbing. Her arms were muscular, and her neck was much too long. She was disgusting. She’d heard it enough to know that it was true. 

With another sigh, M-21 reached back and unzipped the dress. She didn’t need to hear the lies. Even if they were for her benefit. 

“It didn’t fit,” she lied, stepping out of the dressing room. Her own clothes chafed her skin, as if they were chastised her for the lie. Keeping her eyes downcast, she handed the dress back to Suyi. 

"Oh Unnie,” Yuna said, coming to stand beside her, “I didn’t think that it would be too big!” 

“Yeah, it was.” Guilt ate at her as they left the store. Especially when she realised that Seira was looking at her with something akin to sadness in her eyes. 

\- - - - 

M-21 smoothed out the creases in the dress with shaking hands. 

No, not _the_ dress. _Her _dress.__

____

Her dress, because she’d gone back after a few weeks and spent her money on it. The money that she’d worked for, at a job that she liked. 

____

This time, in the silence of the bathroom, she allowed herself to look in the mirror. Really look, without measuring herself up to some inhuman level of perfection. 

____

Like before, the dress was perfect. This time though, there was something missing…M-21 reached up, and tried to pile her short hair atop her head. She didn’t even come close to it, but the nameless woman in the mirror, with her brown hair messily piled on top of her head, smiled back at her. Then, as M-21 watched, the woman reached down and picked up a pearl necklace and held it out. 

____

Her smile never faltered. Not even when M-21’s fingers hit the glass and her image faded, leaving only a grey-haired woman with a scar marring the side of her face. 

____

The first sob took her by surprise. The second saw her folding in on herself. The third sent her to her knees. The fourth felt cathartic, so she kept on sobbing, right there on the bathroom floor. 

____

She’d never really cried before; not for herself. Sure, she’d shed tears on her own accord. cried when the first of her comrades had died, and again when M-24 had died. But she’d never cried for herself. Not until now, at least. So she cried. She cried for whatever she had lost, when the Union took her. She cried for how her future had been stripped away from her. Mostly, she cried, because even if she got back the names, the faces and the places, the memories were still lost to her. 

____

It took her a while to work up the courage to change and leave the bathroom. But when she stepped out, the lights were off. 

____

The house, however, was lit by candles, shining softly, casting a soft orange glow across the walls. A slow song rumbled in the background, complemented by the smell of roses. 

____

In the midst of it all were Tao and Takeo, each wearing an even nicer version of their uniforms. The hacker was sporting a rose, and stood in a pose that would have been better suited for one of those ridiculous male leads out of one of the children’s television shows. 

____

It was all so incredibly out of place that M-21 had to stand and gape. 

____

“What,” she spluttered after a few seconds of staring, “are you two doing?” 

____

Takeo had the decency to look embarrassed. Tao on the other hand, grinned and pranced over to her. He grabbed her by the hands and spun her in a circle, seemingly humming along to the music. The song had changed, and now the singer was crooning about the regrets he’d held after his last relationship. 

____

Unpinning the rose from his suit, Tao clipped it into M-21’s hair as the singer lamented that he’d never given his girlfriend flowers. Takeo took one of her hands out of Tao’s and laced their fingers together. He brought her hand up to his mouth and kissed the scarred knuckles gently. His actions fit perfectly with the singer’s words. 

____

They fit, even more so as the two held hands, leading the three of them in a strange sort of dance. 

____

“The answer to that’s obvious M,” Tao chuckled, once the song had ended. “We’re showing you how much we appreciate you, for who you are."M-21 took back her hands, and blinked intelligently as she tried to understand the reasoning behind the hacker’s words. Hoping to have some help, she turned to look at Takeo. 

____

The sniper smiled at her, and stepped closer. He brushed a lock of hair behind her ear, then stepped away. His smile however, remained. 

____

"Miss Seira informed us that you’d been struggling with your appearance after your trip to the shopping mall with she and the others.” 

____

“And we heard you crying tonight, so we wanted to do something special for you.” 

____

Tao was blushing. So was Takeo. They were both uncomfortable with that level interaction, but they’d done it anyway, and all for her. 

____

M-21 might not have been the most beautiful woman in the world but, in that moment, she certainly felt like the most special.

____

**Author's Note:**

> This is also something that happened to me while I was in high school. My ex had broken up with me shortly before my prom, and I'd been feeling like ugly crap. So my friend surprises me by asking me to dance with her! So there we are, two girls slow dancing to Bruno Mars' "When I was Your Man" in the middle of the dance floor. It made me feel so special that night...


End file.
